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HARRISON COUNTY — A Marshall woman died Sunday morning after a one-vehicle crash in Harrison County. According to Department of Public Safety officials, Margaret Roberson Skinner, 60, was traveling west on FM 1997 around 11:15 when she drifted through the westbound lane and struck a tree. The Longview News-Journal reports, Skinner was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:15 p.m. by Justice of the Peace Nancy George.

LONGVIEW — The Longview ISD is facing a $5.5-million shortfall. But school officials say they were making preparations well before state funding for schools was cut last summer — and spokesman Adam Holland tells KETK the school district is in much better shape than others around the state. Holland says the district has in fact been preparing for the situation for years, and he says no layoffs are expected. According to Holland, there have been positions cut due to attrition. But he says that has been going on for several years, and school officials expect it to continue. The budget is in its preliminary stages, and school officials are unsure if a salary freeze will be lifted.

DOUGLASS — Deputies arrested a Douglass High School teenager accused of stabbing another student during the drive back from a school field trip last Thursday, according to Nacogdoches Sheriff Kerss. Authorities took into custody John Mark Kerr, 18, of Douglass. Kerr is charged with possession of an illegal knife in places prohibited. No other charges have been filed. Sheriff Kerss tells KETK it is illegal to carry a knife on any school property. The bus was in the school parking lot when the incident happened. The victim, stabbed in the leg with a pocketknife, was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Kerr’s bail is set at $3,500.

CANTON — Anonymous tips phoned into the Van Zandt County Crime Stoppers in the past several weeks have paid off, with six people arrested by sheriff’s deputies on a variety of charges, from drug trafficking to vehicle theft to burglary. The arrested suspects include one person from the sheriff’s 10 Most Wanted list.

The Crime Stoppers board authorized a total of $2,450 in rewards for the six tips that led deputies to arrest these individuals:

* A Ben Wheeler man who was on the 10 Most Wanted list, with warrants out for him for crimes such as two assaults on a public servant, several driving offenses, drug possession, and a revoked probation in Navarro County.
* Two young Canton men who were arrested for drug trafficking and theft of farm equipment, and who were later charged additionally after deputies allegedly found drugs, guns, and money in their residence.
* A Wills Point man on a warrant for a pair of vehicle thefts.
* A Wills Point man and his girlfriend, arrested on burglary warrant from Hunt County.

More information about Crime Stoppers is available online at http://www.vanzandtcrimestoppers.org or on Facebook.

LINDALE — The Lindale Independent School District is mourning the passing of longtime business manager Zane Beck. Beck died Sunday at the age of 60. Memorial services will be held Wednesday morning at 10:30 at Caudle-Rutledge Funeral Home in Lindale, 206 West South Street.

Beck provided his services as a business manager to several East Texas school districts. At the time of his passing, he worked with Lindale ISD Director of Finance Liz Stewart as a consultant. He first worked for Lindale from 1996-2002 as Assistant Superintendent for Business. He then began work for the Longview ISD as Assistant Superintendent for Business. After retiring from his position with the Longview ISD, he returned to Lindale in his consultant role.

Beck worked for the Tyler Independent School District as Director of Finance from 1979 to 1987 and served TISD as Assistant Superintendent for Business from 1987 to 1994. He worked for the Marshall Independent School District as Business Manager from 1994 through 1996. Beck also provided his services as a business consultant to a number of school districts, including Van, Pine Tree, Arp, Grand Saline, Nacogdoches, and Big Sandy, as well as the Region VII Education Service Center.

TYLER — Citizens have two more weeks to take advantage of the annual Smith County Wide Cleanup Event. The event is an opportunity for residents of Smith County to bring trash and bulky items to the Greenwood Farms Landfill for free. The Smith County Environmental Crimes Unit, precinct constables, and Smith County Commissioners Court are extending the annual event through March 10.

The County will provide vouchers to the public that are good for up to three cubic yards per person; about a full-sized truck bed. Vouchers are available to pick up at all justice of the peace and constable precinct offices or the Smith County Courthouse Annex, Commissioners Court Office. There is a limit of one voucher per household and businesses may not participate in the voucher program.

The vouchers will be good Monday-Friday, 6:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and on Saturdays 6:30 a.m. until noon through the period. The vouchers come with a list of items that the Greenwood Farms Landfill, an Allied Waste Company, will not take. Directions and a map to the Greenwood Farms Landfill are provided with the vouchers. Items not accepted during the County Wide Cleanup include hazardous waste, pesticides, herbicides, solvents, gasoline, oils, paint, acid, batteries, asbestos, Freon, whole tires, refrigerators, freezers, televisions, and computers.

For more information or to pick up your voucher, please call: (Tyler) Pct. 1 Constable Henry Jackson, (903-590-2609; (Noonday) Pct. 2 Constable Andy Dunklin, 903-590-4840; (Troup) Pct. 3 Constable Dustin Rust, 903-842-2664; (Winona) Pct. 4 Constable John Smith 903-590-4879; or (Lindale) Pct. 5 Constable Dennis Taylor, 903-590-4901.

GLADEWATER — Police in Gladewater are investigating an overnight break-in at Veterinary Service. According to an employee, a window was broken and about $150 cash was taken during the break-in. According to KETK, the business is open.

TYLER — A pregnant woman was struck by a vehicle in Tyler Sunday night. Tyler Police say the woman, who is about eight weeks pregnant, was struck by a car near Broadway Square Mall around 8:00. She was not seriously injured. According to KETK, the driver initially left the scene but returned a short time later and spoke with police. Charges have not been filed.

TYLER – A one vehicle wreck Southeast of Tyler has killed two persons. The wreck occurred around 3:30 Sunday morning on County Road 285. Dead at the scene were the driver, Andrew Jeremiah Whitton, 36, of Tyler, and a passenger, Sarah Katherine Brown, 38, of Tyler. The Department of Public Safety reported their car was southbound when the vehicle left the road and hit a tree. Neither was wearing a seat belt.

NACOGDOCHES – A one vehicle accident near Chireno, in Nacogdoches County, has killed one person. Dead at the scene Saturday night on State Highway 21 was Laddelle Fields Bolton, 41, of Nacogdoches. Her car was west bound when it left the road and overturned. The Department of Public Safety Report said Laddelle was not wearing her seat belt.

TYLER — Here’s a quick look at work planned in the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation.

TROUP — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue pavement repairs on State Highway 110 in Troup, followed by the same work in various locations on Farm Road 15 in Troup. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

PALESTINE — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue pavement-repair operations on SE Loop 256 between U.S. Highway 287 South and U.S. Highway 84 East, which includes working in front of Palestine High School. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zones.

LONGVIEW — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform base and pavement repairs on Spur 63 in Longview, specifically in the area of Academy and the Longview Mall. The work is being done in preparation for a resurfacing project planned for later this year. A second crew is scheduled to perform pavement repairs on State Highway 322 south of the Gregg County Airport. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

WOOD COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to begin approximately two weeks of pavement repairs on Farm Road 3056 between U.S. Highway 80 east of Mineola and Farm Road 778. The work is in preparation for a seal coat application this summer. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

CHEROKEE COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations in various locations on Farm Road 177 and Farm Road 3052 in the Mixon area. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations in various locations on Farm Road 47 between Farm Road 2475 north of Wills Point and the Rains County Line. A second crew is scheduled to perform fog seal operations at Lake Tawakoni State Park. Finally, crews are scheduled to continue edge-repair operations on Farm Road 314 between Farm Road 1995 south of Van and SH 64 north of Edom. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

LANEVILLE — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to perform resurfacing operations on Farm Road 225 between Farm Road 1798 in Laneville and U.S. Highway 84 west of Mount Enterprise. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers and pilot vehicles will control traffic.

TYLER — Rev. Kyev Tatum of Fort Worth drew on the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Saturday night as he keynoted Tyler’s 11th Annual Black History Program. Tatum noted a passage in King’s “I Have a Dream” speech: “Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” Tatum said he and others at Saturday’s event are “The Stone of Hope Generation” — the freedom fighters King knew would come after him. Calling on attendees to be “servant leaders,” Tatum remarked, “God has called us to look out for the least, the last, the lost, the left out.” He noted that the battle today is not just for civil rights, but also for human rights. Tatum is himself following in King’s footsteps. He’s the Fort Worth president/CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the organization once headed by King.

CAMP COUNTY — One person has been killed in a one vehicle crash on Farm Road 3042 in Camp County. The Department of Public Safety says Willy James Irvin, 53, was killed in the Saturday crash after he overcorrected his truck and struck a tree. Irvin was reportedly not wearing his seatbelt at the time.

EAST TEXAS — With the news that Gladewater ISD is hoping to unfreeze salaries in its 2012-13 budget, other area school officials said their decisions are not so easy to predict. According to the Longview News-Journal, in 2011, the state Legislature cut $5 billion from its education budget, resulting in two years of revenue losses for public school districts statewide. With another wave of revenue loss coming, 2012-13 budgets are uncertain, officials said.

Hallsville is looking for ways to make cuts and reductions without sacrificing its core instruction program while maintaining its extracurricular and support programs. Hallsville ISD, like Gladewater and many other school districts statewide, implemented salary freezes in 2011. Despite contending with another $518,785 in cuts in 2012-13, Gladewater ISD Superintendent J.P. Richardson said this past week his district is prepared for the continued reductions and expects to be able to unfreeze salaries.

Pine Tree ISD and Kilgore ISD were two of the few school districts to give raises in 2011, but officials said the 2012-13 budgets have not been finalized and it is too early to tell what the upcoming fiscal year may hold. Pine Tree, in 2011, gave step raises for teachers, counselors and librarians and a 3% increase for other employees

School officials agree that changes have to be made in the overall education finance system, so districts do not continue to lose millions of dollars in revenue in the future.

BIG SANDY — One person was killed and five people were injured in a one vehicle rollover on U. S. Highway 80, about two miles east of Big Sandy. The Department of Public Safety say the wreck happened around 9:50 Saturday night. Saray Liang, 65, was killed. Her vehicle was reportedly heading westbound on Highway 80 when it ran off of the road, over-corrected and flipped. Liang was not wearing a seatbelt at the time. The five people who were also in the vehicle were taken to a local hospital with injuries but are said to be in stable condition.

LUFKIN — Texas native and country legend Willie Nelson is scheduled to perform at the George H. Henderson, Jr. Exposition Center on April 19. Burt Hairgrove, director of the Angelina County expo center, said tickets will go on sale March 6 and can be purchased by calling the center at 637-EXPO or online at protix.com. “We started at the beginning of the year to try and book Nelson,” Hairgrove said. “We talked to the promoter who has been booking Nelson for years. We told him we had a great venue, and we would love to have Nelson perform. He agreed. It will be a fantastic show from start to finish.” Hairgrove said he has been looking to book bigger events at the expo center, especially after $1 million was spent to improve the facility. “Our facility has 6,800 seats, but if we put seating on the lower floor we can seat 9,000 people,” he said.

LUFKIN — A former Lufkin Dollar King manager sentenced to two years in state jail for photographing employees in the store bathroom is one week from being released. Nathan Scott Kesler, 35, appeared before state District Judge Gerald Goodwin Friday afternoon hoping to be granted shock probation and released but instead the judge opted to leave him in the Angelina County Jail for another week. Goodwin said he wanted to evaluate what rehabilitation programs may be good for Kesler before releasing him into the hands of an Angelina County probation officer.

LUFKIN — A man has been arrested after going door-to-door early in the morning trying to sell chicken. Lufkin Police say officers responded to calls complaining about a man in the 1600 block of Airport Avenue. Police arrested, Daniel Huerta, 33 for nine misdemeanor charges including, public intoxication and intent to give false information. Huerta’s bond is over $4,000.

PARIS (AP) — PARIS (AP) — A judge in Paris has dissolved a temporary restraining order blocking TransCanada from crossing a northeast Texas farm with a proposed pipeline to carry Canadian oil to refineries along the Texas Gulf coast. Lamar County Court at Law Judge Bill Harris granted the pipeline company’s request to end the order on Friday. The Longview News-Journal reported that landowner Julia Trigg Crawford, who had obtained the order, contends that the company trampled her property rights and the project could harm Caddo Indian artifacts on her farm. A full trial that will include additional issues is set for April 30. Crawford says she disagrees with the ruling but looks forward to going to trial.

EAST TEXAS — Caddo Parish authorities recovered the body of a Smith County man from the Red River near Riverbend Marina. Two officials were patrolling the river at around 10:00 Friday morning when they noticed a body near the entrance to the marina. The body was pulled from the water and turned over to the Bossier Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, who have been searching for a missing person thrown from his boat on February 8. According to KETK, the body has been positively identified as the missing boater who vanished two weeks ago at the same marina. According to the Arp Police Department, the missing boater is Dan Stanley from Arp.

EAST TEXAS — A judge in Paris ruled Friday that work on the Keystone XL Pipeline could proceed through the northernmost of 18 Texas counties on its route to the Gulf Coast. Lamar County Court at Law Judge Bill Harris granted pipeline company TransCanada’s motion to dissolve a Feb. 13 temporary restraining order that had stopped construction. That halt had been based on a landowner’s claim the company trampled her property rights and the project could harm Caddo Indian artifacts on her family farm.

Keystone last month announced plans to continue the Texas leg of the project, along with new route that bypasses North Dakota where protests have arisen, despite President Barack Obama’s denial of its permit. That permit was necessary because the pipeline crosses an international boundary, but Prescott said in an earlier interview it only affected a 30-mile stretch crossing the U.S./Canadian border.

GREGG COUNTY — Kilgore police on Friday arrested a woman charged in the Jan. 2011 death of an adult video store clerk. Officials arrested Samantha Gonzales Lara, 20, at her Kilgore residence, according to a department news release. She is charged in the shooting death of Renee Garrett, whose body was found just after midnight on Jan. 10 at Adult Video and DVD in the 1900 block of Industrial Avenue. The store had also been robbed.

The arrest comes a day after a Gregg County grand jury returned a two-count indictment for Lara, for felony murder and aggravated robbery. Garrett worked at the business. Lara, whose bond has been set at $500,000, is not the only suspect in the case. According to the Longview News-Journal, DNA evidence taken from the scene confirmed the identity of one of three suspects in the robbery and homicide and further arrests are expected.

Anyone with information regarding the death of Renee Garrett is asked to contact Kilgore Police Department Detective Trae Portwood at (903) 983.1559 or Crime Stoppers at (903) 236-STOP. A $15,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department held its Annual Awards Banquet Friday at the U.T. Tyler Ornelas Center. During the ceremony, employees of the Tyler Police Department along with civilians were honored for their actions and service to the City of Tyler.

MASTER AWARD WINNERS

Officer of the Year – Officer Edgar Zapata
Rookie of the Year – Officer Jason Compton
Plainclothes Officer of the Year – Detective Chris Miller
Sworn Supervisor of the Year – Sergeant Billy Yates
Unit of the Year – Community Response Unit
Civilian Employee of the Year – Betsy Thrash
Civilian Supervisor of the Year – Elton Anderson
Volunteer of the Year – Kathy Becker

Tyler Patrolman’s Association Awards:

President’s Award – Mike McClain- G.M. of Allen Samuels East Texas Dodge
Excellence in Policing Award – Officer Jimmy Turner
Honorary Members – Judge Jack Skeen Jr. and David Dobbs

Tyler Police Department Awards:

Police Shield: Officer William Steinmiller
Life Saving Award: Officer Jimmy Turner (two awards)
Certificate of Merit: Officer Pat Mullican, Officer Chad Kersey, Officer Jessica Doughten, Detective Adam Colby, Detective Doyle Lynch, Detective Reggie Conley, DA Investigator Fabio Martinez
Citizens Certificate of Merit: Alvin Craig, Thadeus Yates, Brittany Kirkley, Loy Parker, Robert Hunt, Jackie Lynn Weaver, Roberto Quintane, Edward Gordon, Mayda Tabares, Edmund Johnson, Jon Hunea

QUITMAN – Plans for a new $35 million ETMC Quitman facility, estimated to be complete in 2013, were announced by officials of the East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System and the Wood County Central Hospital District during groundbreaking ceremonies Friday morning. In November, the WCCHD issued $35.75 million of tax-exempt bonds to finance the project. The bonds were assumed and will be payable by ETMC Quitman, under the terms of a new 40-year lease between the WWCHD and ETMC Quitman.

The new facility, which will measure more than 84,000 square feet, will be located east of the current building on adjacent land. Once completed, the existing hospital facility will be demolished and the site will be used for parking. “The new ETMC Quitman will be a modern showcase facility equipped to provide the highest quality inpatient care and outpatient services,” said Warren Robicheaux, administrator of ETMC Quitman. “Our hope is that Wood County residents will point to this new facility with pride, and see it as an enhancement to the community’s health and well-being.”

TYLER — A Tyler doctor is disciplined by The Texas State Medical Board. According to KETK, the board has found that Dr. R. Anton Lester III operated an unlicensed pharmacy and prescribed dangerous drugs or controlled substances without first establishing a proper professional relationship with the patient. The board also cites failure to adequately supervise physician extenders and distributing drugs to a patient for a fee.

According to information from the medical board, On February 10, Lester and the board entered into an agreed order requiring Lester to pass within one year and within three attempts the Medical Jurisprudence Exam, complete within one year 10 hours of continuing medical education in risk management and pay an administrative penalty of $2,000 within 60 days.

EAST TEXAS — The U.S. Postal Service announced Thursday that some areas of East Texas will have their postal mail processing offices consolidated to other areas. According to KETK, the facilities that will be affected in East Texas are Lufkin and Tyler. Tyler’s services will be consolidated in Shreveport, Coppell, and Austin; Lufkin’s services will be moved to Beaumont. There was no immediate word on exactly when the closings would take place.

A statement issued Wednesday by USPS reads, in part, “In a move to help ensure the future of the nation’s mail system, while adapting to America’s changing mailing trends, the U.S. Postal Service today announced that the Area Mail Processing consolidation studies that began more than five months ago have been completed. These changes are a necessary part of a larger comprehensive plan developed by the Postal Service to reduce operating costs by $20 billion by 2015 and return the organization to profitability.” You can go to http://about.usps.com/what-we-are-doing/our-future-network/assets/pdf/communications-list-022212.pdf for a full list of closings nationwide.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) is voicing his displeasure with the decision made by the United States Postal Service (USPS) to move Tyler and Lufkin processing operations to plants in various other cities in Texas and Louisiana. Gohmert released the following statement:

“It is exceedingly frustrating to hear the news that the U.S. Post Office may be closing the Tyler and Lufkin processing plants. These plants are so important to delivering the mail in a timely manner, while avoiding vast added expenses to sending a letter in east Texas. What some of the USPS bureaucrats don’t understand is that when they make it more difficult to send a letter efficiently and quickly, they diminish the amount of revenue that will come in. The bottom line is that the closure of these facilities will ultimately hurt the U.S. Postal Service. The best move they could make is to eliminate most of the top and mid-level bureaucrats, who do not help mail get delivered but just come up with these ridiculous decisions.”

According to KETK, the Postal Service announced numerous closings nationwide on Thursday. Tyler’s services will be consolidated in Shreveport, Coppell, and Austin; Lufkin’s services will be moved to Beaumont. There was no immediate word on exactly when the closings would take place.

TYLER — Could you survive a month in poverty? That’s the question participants asked themselves and each other Friday in Tyler at a Community Action Poverty Simulation hosted by PATH. The simulation was made available by the Missouri Association for Community Action. According to PATH materials, “The simulation is a unique, interactive experience that helps people begin to understand what life is like with a shortage of money and an abundance of stress. It moves people to think about the harsh realities of poverty and to talk about how the community can address the problem. Most importantly, it moves people to make a difference.”

The half-day program brought together social service providers, local officials, clergy, educators, employers, and others to experience first-hand a typical month of living in poverty. Participants played the roles of family members struggling to meet basic needs without enough money. Then they came together to discuss how they felt and what they learned.

NACOGDOCHES COUNTY — One East Texas student was injured after a knife was allegedly pulled on a Douglass school bus, according to Nacogdoches County Sheriff officials. The victim was stabbed in the leg with a pocketknife during the drive back from a field trip. The bus was in the school parking lot when it happened. According to KETK, the student was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Authorities have not yet interview the suspect, and his name has not been released.

LUFKIN — An Angelina College student turned himself in Wednesday evening after admittedly launching a samurai sword attack on a group of fellow students hours earlier. According to KETK, James Martin, 21, of Pineland pulled up next to the group sitting at a picnic table outside the Baptist Student Union, jumped out of his car with the sword and began cursing at them around 2:30. Martin then began flailing the sword around, striking the picnic table several times and hit a girl in leg. He faces a second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a third-degree felony charge of prohibited weapon.